Misteaching the Middle Way
Peter Young openly reminds his students not to think, and not to read Buddhist texts. What we have come to realise as we free ourselves from his influence, is that if anyone actually utilised their critical minds, done their due diligence and investigated Buddha’s teachings, they would discover that PY does not have the deep understanding of Buddhism he claims to possess.
One of PY’s many distortions and misunderstanding of the Buddhist teachings is his misinterpretation of the Middle Way. He is the only “teacher” who teaches the Middle Way as "always moving forward". Compare that to these two definitions from Tibetan Buddhist sources:
[1] www.rigpawiki.org
Middle Way can refer specifically to the Madhyamika school or, more generally, to the Buddha's teachings as a whole, which present a path that avoids the two extremes of eternalism and nihilism.
Middle Way in the Sutrayana
In the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta in the Pali Canon, the first teaching the Buddha gave after his enlightenment which sets forth the four noble truths, he speaks of the Middle Way, the path of practice that avoids the two extremes of sensual indulgence on the one hand, and severe asceticism on the other. He identifies this way specifically as the noble eightfold path.
[2] www.lamayeshe.com
The view presented in Shakyamuni Buddha's prajñaparamita sutras and elucidated by Nagarjuna that all phenomena are dependent arisings, thereby avoiding the mistaken extremes of self-existence and non-existence, or eternalism and nihilism. Cf Madhyamaka.
[3] Or simply look up Wikipedia’s entry: [en.wikipedia.org]
So “always moving forward” is not what Buddha taught. It is actually a reflection of PY’s personality, worldview and method, and also indicates his ruthless and narcissistic tendencies. For PY, it is enlightenment at all costs — the end justifies the means — there is no compromise. This is why he leaves a trail of destruction in his wake, broken and damaged students, disharmony within his sangha, and isolation of students from families, friends and society. This is causing harm, it is not compassionate, and it is definitely not Buddhism.
Example: PY’s projecting his ruthlessness to distort Pureland Buddhism -- As long as you succeed in taking rebirth in Amitabha's Pureland, enlightenment is guaranteed; thereafter you can go back in time to liberate all your fathers and mothers; therefore it is important to distance yourself from your current relationships (especially family), attend as many teachings and retreats as you can, and totally depend on him as a teacher to guide you.
If students knew the widely accepted meaning of the Middle Way, they will understand that PY's way is not “middle”, it is in fact extreme and nihilistic, one of denial and self-mortification, no different from the Indian ascetic practices experienced and rejected by Buddha Shakyamuni.
Blog entry here: pathgatesurvivors.wordpress.com
Peter Young openly reminds his students not to think, and not to read Buddhist texts. What we have come to realise as we free ourselves from his influence, is that if anyone actually utilised their critical minds, done their due diligence and investigated Buddha’s teachings, they would discover that PY does not have the deep understanding of Buddhism he claims to possess.
One of PY’s many distortions and misunderstanding of the Buddhist teachings is his misinterpretation of the Middle Way. He is the only “teacher” who teaches the Middle Way as "always moving forward". Compare that to these two definitions from Tibetan Buddhist sources:
[1] www.rigpawiki.org
Middle Way can refer specifically to the Madhyamika school or, more generally, to the Buddha's teachings as a whole, which present a path that avoids the two extremes of eternalism and nihilism.
Middle Way in the Sutrayana
In the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta in the Pali Canon, the first teaching the Buddha gave after his enlightenment which sets forth the four noble truths, he speaks of the Middle Way, the path of practice that avoids the two extremes of sensual indulgence on the one hand, and severe asceticism on the other. He identifies this way specifically as the noble eightfold path.
[2] www.lamayeshe.com
The view presented in Shakyamuni Buddha's prajñaparamita sutras and elucidated by Nagarjuna that all phenomena are dependent arisings, thereby avoiding the mistaken extremes of self-existence and non-existence, or eternalism and nihilism. Cf Madhyamaka.
[3] Or simply look up Wikipedia’s entry: [en.wikipedia.org]
So “always moving forward” is not what Buddha taught. It is actually a reflection of PY’s personality, worldview and method, and also indicates his ruthless and narcissistic tendencies. For PY, it is enlightenment at all costs — the end justifies the means — there is no compromise. This is why he leaves a trail of destruction in his wake, broken and damaged students, disharmony within his sangha, and isolation of students from families, friends and society. This is causing harm, it is not compassionate, and it is definitely not Buddhism.
Example: PY’s projecting his ruthlessness to distort Pureland Buddhism -- As long as you succeed in taking rebirth in Amitabha's Pureland, enlightenment is guaranteed; thereafter you can go back in time to liberate all your fathers and mothers; therefore it is important to distance yourself from your current relationships (especially family), attend as many teachings and retreats as you can, and totally depend on him as a teacher to guide you.
If students knew the widely accepted meaning of the Middle Way, they will understand that PY's way is not “middle”, it is in fact extreme and nihilistic, one of denial and self-mortification, no different from the Indian ascetic practices experienced and rejected by Buddha Shakyamuni.
Blog entry here: pathgatesurvivors.wordpress.com